Brave maybe, but I've always thought there are more fitting adjectives for them. Well, at least for Lord Cardigan

Orders are orders. Think how many have died in acts that their superior ordered them to do.

---------- Post added 08-28-16 at 05:18 PM ----------

Originally posted by rod_grant

It's a good place isn't it?
You ought to apply to immigrate.

They let me in and I drove from Adelaide to Melbourne to see my niece and then to Sydney, past your place on the Hume, to take my daughter's car and stuff to her in Sydney. She just moved there. Nice drive.

Now just taken the plane and got back to England. Rather far! I took an airline that is not my favourite, and they trade on the ASX. A few things I do not like showed up. When I booked I said I wanted aisle seats. When I checked in The seats for the two sectors of the flight from Melbourne to London were a window and a middle seat (already not good) and the check in clerk in Adelaide could see there were unoccupied aisles seats on both sectors but they could not be allocated in Adelaide, I would need to line up and beg for a seat change in Melbourne. Something silly in their computer system. And unlike any other airline I have travelled with in a multi-sector flight where 'all the way' travellers get the same seat all the way they allocated different seats for each sector, and those getting on at a later place use the seats vacated by those who left. And they had several more rows of seats on a 380 than my preferred airline, with the result that there was almost nowhere to get up and stretch during a 14 hours flight sector, as well as making it rather crammed in. And when it came time to get off in both Dubai and London economy class passengers were only allowed to get off through the second door, rather than doing what other airlines I have travelled with do, to speed up getting, that people from the right aisle go forward to the front door. For Americans, even United is better, except for the food. And I would prefer the steward did not talk like a fashion designer impersonator, a plain ordinary conversation tone is more suitable. This experience, coming on the back of my trip out with my preferred airline, shows up the contrast very strongly, and confirms my current preference of service provider which I will exercise on my next trip to wherever that is. At least the trip back only cost me points plus about GBP150.

Orders are orders. Think how many have died in acts that their superior ordered them to do.

Originally posted by tim60

Orders are orders. Think how many have died in acts that their superior ordered them to do.

True. People die in war. That is hard to avoid. But something's wrong with the system when nobody questions vague orders that evolve more and more toward pointless suicide down through the chain of command.

You mean like the orders Aussies had to take from Pommie generals at Fromelle?

MODS: that is not political - it is military-al.

Well, a pinning attack's not great to be involved in, Rod; but the Pommies doing the real offensive on The Somme suffered much, much more. They were fresh recruits, too, a conscript army unlike the Australian one.

And credit has to be given to the opponents, too. The German units attacking at Verdun had underperformed, but elsewhere defended superbly throughout 1916.

And the most memorable in the USA is Picket's charge, although whether that folly really determined the outcome of Gettysburg and the Civil War is debatable. A classic move by an officer from Maine, a former teacher as I recall, having his soldiers wheel left around the attacking Confederate's flank, may have been the critical nail that won the battle.

I'll get this done as quickly as possible....with only a few photos out of many I shot.....I called my Mom last night around midnight (she is a night person) and she was going through over 200 birthday cards......She was still excited and overwhelmed by the events of the day.
The total number of people was 114...a pretty good crowd of all family and close friends.

People were waiting

The surprise moment

A big Happy Birthday and lots of clapping

Lots of hugs all around

Group photo time

There was lots of Texas BBQ....and cake!

Lots of family group photos......Our oldest son & wife with Mrs Rupert

My niece Stephaine & her husband, that put this all together and did a fantastic job. She is a real photographer (even though she shoots Canon) and no doubt has hundreds of shots all better than mine.

Days like this do not come often in a lifetime. I got to see relatives I haven't seen in many years and one of my very best childhood friends I haven't seen since he went to Vietnam almost 50 years ago.
Hope your family is a wonderful as mine! Great memories were shared ...and made...yesterday!

Regards!

---------- Post added 08-28-16 at 08:28 AM ----------

Originally posted by tim60

This experience, coming on the back of my trip out with my preferred airline, shows up the contrast very strongly, and confirms my current preference of service provider which I will exercise on my next trip to wherever that is.

We see a lot of cattle trucks on the highways in Texas, and all the cattle look happier than the people boarding for airline flights. I think they know their end is near but that they won't be tortured for hours before it comes.

Great nephew on the left...aspiring Rupert Type youngest grandson on the right. He did keep the party lively!

He took his shoes off and his Mom scolded him and told him to put them back on. He then proceeded around the room requesting people to take their shoes off because his Nana was old and the sound on the hard floors hurt her ears...he was very convincing...by the time I caught him and stopped it half the people there had their shoes off.

We see a lot of cattle trucks on the highways in Texas, and all the cattle look happier than the people boarding for airline flights. I think they know their end is near but that they won't be tortured for hours before it comes.

Airline flights are tough.

But if you want to enjoy flying use one of the east Asian airlines, they seem to start with the view that people who fly are a bit special and should have their experience made nice. Choose from among the better airlines in each country. And the airports they build are so much nicer too and everyone working in the system treats the paying customers nicely, as people who must be given a good experience to attract them back.

BTW: our Australian friends will know exactly which airline I travelled with.

Back in the day...years ago...the best airlines here were Braniff and Northwest Orient. Excellent service and on Braniff superb food too! That was in the days before carriers started using cattle prods to get you seated.

Back in the day...years ago...the best airlines here were Braniff and Northwest Orient. Excellent service and on Braniff superb food too! That was in the days before carriers started using cattle prods to get you seated.

I do recall years ago when the 707 was the latest greatest, you did get more special treatment, like you were somebody to be flying in such a wonder machine. Over the years it has deteriorated into almost equal comparison to bus travel. In reality it is probably just a natural evolution given the massive increase in passenger numbers.

Back when I was 6-7in Dallas and our next door neighbor was a pilot for Braniff I flew with him many times to shuttle planes to Houston for repairs at their facilities there. The interiors were plush and on the few passenger flights I was on the service and crews were top notch. This was in the early days of air travel and it was worlds different in almost every way. Some better...some not. Everything is about change, and not all change is to our liking.

He then proceeded around the room requesting people to take their shoes off because his Nana was old and the sound on the hard floors hurt her ears...he was very convincing...by the time I caught him and stopped it half the people there had their shoes off.

That was in the days before carriers started using cattle prods to get you seated.

A little like seating in the frog-eyed Austin Healey Sprite that was my first car. The story went: you ordered the car by suit size, and each one came with a shoe horn for getting in and a can opener to get out. (There was also supposed to be an optional rope with a little handle attached T-style at the end in case of a dead battery).